Schrodinger's Cat
by Increasing Paranoia
Summary: "Just like Schrodinger's Cat, my potential relationship with Sky can be thought of as both good and bad. Only by opening the box will I find out if the cat is dead or alive."
1. Chapter 1

__A/N: Wow guys, been awhile. Anyway, I'm still working on A House is Not a Home and Let Me Spin You a Yarn By The Fire but this little idea just snuck into my head and refused to leave. I blame Big Bang Theory. Anyway, a big thanks to my new beta Heaven's Archer!

* * *

_'This_,' Bridge thought, _'was all Sky's fault_.' Not that it was a bad thing but...Bridge hadn't exactly been planning on falling in love with another guy. Bridge remained steadfast in his opinion that it was the blue ranger's fault. If Sky weren't so perfect then Bridge wouldn't have fallen in love with him. But this story isn't about why Bridge fell in love with his friend; it's about what happened after.

* * *

Sky sat on his bed, a book open in his lap even though he wasn't paying the book any attention. Instead, he was running through the conversation he had had with Syd a half hour ago. The pink ranger had knocked tentatively on the door and Sky had admitted her with a smile.

"Hey, Syd. What's going on?" The blonde haired girl had perched tentatively on Bridge's bed as Sky moved to sit on his own. "Is something the matter?" he asked, noticing the look on her face.

"Sky...I...I have to talk to you." A feeling of foreboding settled in the blue ranger's stomach and he knew what was coming next. He just didn't know why. "I think we should break up," Syd stated softly. Sky stayed silent, quietly picking at the frayed threads of his comforter.

"Why?" he finally asked. Syd, who had stood up to leave, sat back down.

"Because, while I know that you care for me...I think that there's someone else you could love even more, if you'd just let yourself see it." She paused to collect herself, her fingers playing nervously with the hem of her shirt. "I want you to be _happy_, Sky, and you're not with me. Not completely," she finished, talking over Sky's protestations. "You could be so much happier. You just need to look and see the big picture." Syd had scurried out the door before Sky could give voice to any of his thoughts, and he had been sitting on his bed, book in lap, staring at the wall ever since. His thoughts were interrupted by the hissing of the door as it opened.

"I don't think you'll get much read like that," Bridge stated, collapsing onto his bed. Sky refocused his gaze onto his fellow squad member but said nothing. "Hey, are you okay?" Bridge propped himself up on his elbows and stared earnestly at his friend's face.

"Syd broke up with me," Sky stated. Bridge's eyes widened in shock and he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and sat up.

"No way! Why? Do you want me to talk to her? Maybe it's just a misunderstanding..." Bridge stated, trailing off. Sky smiled in spite of himself.

"She said that there's someone I love more than her. I just have to figure it out." Sky smiled wryly. "She wouldn't even tell me who she thought I was in love with." He shrugged and set his book on the bed. "I'm going to go work out." Bridge waved as the older boy exited the room and as the door slid shut, the green ranger collapsed back onto the bed. Syd couldn't _possibly_ know...could she? When Sky had told his friend that he was planning on asking the pink ranger out, Bridge had seethed internally. Externally he had slapped Sky on the back and told him to go for it. From that day forward, Bridge had tried to avoid being in the same room with both the rangers. Sky he could handle. Syd he could handle. Sky and Syd he could _not_ handle. The few times he had found himself with the two had always been incredibly awkward and the fact that Syd had taken to _staring_ at him had not helped the awkwardness. But this train of thought was not answering his initial question: _Did Syd know?_ A tap on the door interrupted his train of thought and he heaved a sigh as he rolled off his bed and opened the door.

"Syd!" After he blinked his way past the initial shock he saw that the ranger had been crying and he ushered her into the room. For the second time in two hours the blonde teenager found herself in the room, but this time she sat on Sky's bed and faced Bridge.

"Bridge...we need to talk." The green ranger swallowed around the knot in his throat.

"Sure, Syd. What's up?" he asked nervously as he twisted his fingers together.

"You know I broke up with Sky and I'm pretty sure you know why. I tried giving him a hint, but I don't think he got it. Now it's your turn."

"My turn?" Bridge asked faintly. Syd nodded, her face set in determination. "My turn to - ?"

"To show him that he's in love with you as much as you're in love with him. I want to see him happy, Bridge and he'll be happy with you."

"No." Bridge shook his head. "Sky was raised completely straight-laced. Finding out that a guy is in love with him – or that he's in love with a guy – is going to do nothing but make matters worse."

"Bridge..." Syd groaned.

"No, Syd. It's like Schrodinger's Cat, okay?"

"_What?_"

"Schrodinger's Cat. In 1935, Austrian physicist Erwin Schrodinger, in an attempt to explain the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum physics, proposed an experiment where a cat is placed in a box with a sealed vial of poison that will break open at a random time. Since no one knows when or if the poison has been released, until the box is opened, the cat can be thought of as both alive and dead. Just like Schrodinger's Cat, my potential relationship with Sky can be thought of as both good and bad. Only by opening the box will I find out if the cat is dead or alive."

"Well, in this case, the cat is alive and you know it," Syd argued – understanding just enough to continue her side of the argument. Bridge shook his head.

"No, Syd. In this case, the cat was dead before it was put in the box," he stated, drawing his knees up and wrapping his arms around them. Syd let out an exclamation of annoyance.

"Why do you men have to be so stubborn?" she demanded, standing and heading toward the door. "I'll prove that the cat is alive." Her only response from the green ranger was a sigh as she stormed out the door.

After Syd left Bridge pulled himself into a handstand and thought about what she had said. To suddenly be presented with the opportunity that he had always dreamed of…it would be so easy to spill his guts out to Sky as soon as he came in but he refused to do so for two reasons: 1. He valued Sky's friendship _way_ too much to lose it, and 2. He really didn't want to have to switch teams should things get awkward between them. So, no, he'd thank Syd for trying and tell her to get back together with the blue ranger. Plan - yes. He dropped his legs and stood, bee-lining for the door only to stumble backwards with a small yelp as it suddenly slid open in front of him.

"Sorry!" Sky apologized as he helped the younger ranger stand. Bridge shook his head and waved away the apology before moving to collapse on his bed. Close proximity to a sweaty Sky was _not_ what he needed right now. He flipped into his stomach, buried his face in his pillow and groaned. The blue ranger shot an amused look in Bridge's direction before disappearing into the bathroom. Bridge silently wondered why Sky couldn't shower at the gym like every other guy. "So I saw Syd again." Sky stated as he re-entered the room. "She said she'd been to talk to you." Bridged loved the pink ranger as a sister. He would destroy her as such.

"Yeah, she, uh…she wanted to know if she made a mistake breaking up with you," Bridge lied, hauling himself up to lean against the wall. Sky laughed.

"You can't lie, Bridge. You especially can't lie to _me_." He paused, taking in Bridge's defensive posture. The younger man sat with his back against the wall, his knees tucked under his chin and his arms wrapped tightly around his shins. "Hey, I'm sorry. We don't have to talk about it," Sky stated quickly, trying to figure out what he had done wrong. He sat on the bed next to his friend. "It's none of my business what you and Syd talked about, anyway." Bridge gave no indication that he heard what the blue ranger had said and Sky stood with a sigh. He ran a hand through his still damp hair and stated, "We've never had secrets before."

"Maybe it's time we started," Bridge whispered. Sky frowned - that wasn't the response he wanted - but he dropped the subject and Bridge knew that the blue ranger wouldn't bring it up again unless Bridge brought it up first.

* * *

True to Bridge's prediction, Sky completely dropped his investigation into what Syd had said but things between the two rangers were strained. Sky never mentioned that day again but Bridge could feel the curious and searching glances that the blond man sent his way when he thought Bridge wouldn't see him. What the older man didn't know was that Bridge was hyper-aware of the older ranger whenever he was around. He _always_ knew when Sky was looking at him. His Sky-tenses would tingle.

For Syd, it was almost painful to watch. She had hoped that Bridge would get over his stubbornness and tell Sky the truth but it was quite evident he had done nothing of the sort and it was left to her. But she had yet to devise a plan that didn't involve outright telling Sky that Bridge was in love with him. She didn't think Bridge would ever forgive her if she did that. So she watched and waited and plotted.

Sky vented his frustration on unsuspecting targets. It had been a week since he and Syd had broken up and while it should have been awkward between the two of them, it was more awkward between himself and Bridge. The blue ranger grunted in annoyance as he took out another target. He had given assurances that he wouldn't pry into Bridge's affairs, so he sure as heck wasn't going to sneak around behind his back and try to talk to Syd. Sky demolished the last target and decided to use the gym showers for the first time - ever. He didn't feel like going back to his room just yet.

Freshly showered, he left his hair to air dry and meandered his way to the cafeteria to pick up some lunch. However, whispering in the common room derailed his plan.

"I feel so bad for both of them," Syd whispered. "I hoped when I broke up with Sky that he'd get the hint but he's carrying on just as oblivious as ever. So I went to Bridge, hoping that he'd at least give Sky a nudge in the right direction but he's being as bullheaded as Sky." The ranger in questioned tuned out the rest of the conversation, focusing solely on this new piece of information. Bridge knew who Syd though he was in love with. So why hadn't he told Sky? Their friendship had always been based on openness and honesty, but lately Bridge had been keeping secrets… Could Bridge possibly have an interest in the girl? Or maybe the younger ranger had some sort of information about her and felt like Sky would be better off without her. Whatever the green ranger's reasoning, Sky needed to talk to him.

The blue ranger couldn't remember much about the walk back to his shared room but he could clearly remember the feelings of anger and hurt warring in his chest and the emotions must have permeated his aura because no sooner had he stepped into the room than Bridge was looking at him with a look that managed to be both sheepish and guilty looking.

"She told you who she thinks I'm in love with," Sky stated slowly. Bridge nodded.

"And I told her it would probably never happen." At the look Sky gave him Bridge sighed and explained, "She thinks you're in love with a guy. More specifically, she thinks you're in love with me." Bridge almost laughed at how fast Sky's head whipped around to look at him - he was a little surprised the blue ranger didn't get whiplash.

"She thinks…what?" he asked faintly. Bridge merely shrugged his response. Sky stood and paced the room. "She thinks I'm gay?"

"More like bi. You _do_ have a history of dating women." Bridge stated, forcing a weak smile. In actuality, this conversation was going a lot better than he thought. At least Sky wasn't yelling.

"But…you dated Sophie." Sky stated.

"Yeah…" Bridge nodded slowly. "And I liked her, too. Doesn't mean I haven't dated guys, too. Just not since I joined the academy." He didn't want to open _that_ can of worms, _thank you very much_. Sky pushed down the sudden irritation that flared when Bridge mentioned past boyfriends.

"This is…" he trailed off, unsure how to finish.

"A lot to take in?" Bridge asked. "Believe me, it's not what I had planned for today, either," he stated drily. Sky collapsed onto his bed and ran a hand through his still-damp hair.

"What do _you_ think?" Sky asked, fixing his gaze on the younger ranger. Bridge fidgeted nervously.

"I'll go along with whatever you decide." It wasn't the answer Sky was looking for, but it was the best Bridge could give him without making his true sentiments known. A wry smile twisted Sky's lips and he shook his head while sighing.

"I'm going to need some time to think about this, Bridge. I've never been involved with a guy before and in all honesty, I'm not sure that's a road I want to go down." Bridge nodded his understanding. Sky could have all the time he needed. The younger ranger could use that time to get his suddenly spiraling emotions back under control. Any further conversation was cut off as the alarm alerted the B-squad rangers to Gruum's latest attack and by the end of the day the two men were just happy that they were both alive to worry much about what - if anything - was going to happen between them. Bridge sighed before settling himself underneath his blankets. Across the room, Sky listened as the green ranger's breathing evened out and he tried to figure out the correct course of action to take.


	2. Chapter 2

**A Note from the Beta: **_I am so so sorry about the wait guys, Paranoia is smashing these out something fierce, so the hold ups are completely my fault due to end-of-semester assignments/tests for Uni. I do hope you enjoy the work though, it's fantastic as usual. _

__**A/N: **_She does not lie, I have been e-mailing her about every three days or so and she has been doing her absolute best to keep up with me._**  
**

* * *

Sky paused in his stirring and glanced one more time at the recipe. The academy's annual Halloween party was going to be his saving grace. Bridge had been as good as his word about giving Sky time to think things over, but that had been more than four weeks ago and the blue ranger had yet to come to a final decision. Bridge never pushed him to make a decision but Sky felt awful for dragging things out. He had spent an inordinate amount of time in the gym trying to come to a decision but his exercises rarely left him time to ponder on what, exactly, his interest in his roommate was. Was it platonic or not? He still no idea, so, when Boom had begged him to help with the food for the party, Sky had jumped at the chance. Just himself, in an empty kitchen. Alone. With baking ingredients and his own thou - Sky winced as pots and pans clattered to the floor.

"Sorry!" Boom apologized, dropping to his knees to pick up the errant dishes. Sky breathed hard through his nose and turned back to the batter for the mummy cookies. "I'm _really_ sorry about that," Boom reiterated as he set the dishes on the counter. "Hey…are you okay?"

"I've got a lot on my mind," Sky answered absent mindedly, trying to remember if he already added the mini chocolate chips.

"Oh, right, sorry! I'll just…yeah, uh, bye!" The blue ranger sighed as Boom rushed out of the kitchen. Whatever Boom's faults, at least he knew when to make himself scarce. _Now_ Sky could turn his mind to the important matters at hand - namely, where were the white chocolate chips hiding?

Chocolate chips accounted for and all other party foods taken care of, Sky leaned against the kitchen counter and let his mind focus back on the issue of Bridge. It wasn't that Sky didn't love the green ranger - he did. But he'd always seen it as a platonic big brother - little brother type of love. The type of love that said, "Yeah, I give him hell but if you lay a hand on him _I'll end you_." Apparently, if Syd was to be believed, he was mistaken. Bridge had never really stated whether he had feelings for the older ranger or not, but he _did_ have a mixed dating history. And Sky knew he staunchly clung to his heterosexuality and claimed he was as straight as a ruler but…some rulers were bendy, weren't they? Sky rubbed his forehead in frustration and bit the head off a mummy cookie. There was too much to think about by himself. He needed someone with an open mind and with no personal interest in what was going on. He was chewing thoughtfully when the perfect person walked through the door.

"Is it safe to be in the kitchen again?" Boom asked, only half-joking.

"Boom, I have a question for you. Syd thinks that Bridge and I are in love with each other. I don't know if Bridge has feelings for me but he has dated guys before and while I'm not sure about my feelings for Bridge, I think I could come to…feel like that…for him. What do you think?" Boom stared at the blue ranger for a minute before answering. Sky agreeing to help get ready for a party and asking for advice in the same day? Boom was going to check and make sure no one slipped anything into the water supply.

"Well, uh…I don't know your feelings but it's kind of obvious to, well, everyone, that Bridge is in love with you. So, it kind of depends on how sure you are that you could love Bridge."

"So…I shouldn't ask him out?" Sky clarified.

"No, no, listen," Boom hastened to explain. "Your relationship with Bridge is like Schrodinger's cat." Seeing the look on the blond's face he elaborated. "In 1935, Austrian physicist Erwin Schrodinger attempted to explain the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum physics by placing a cat in a box with a sealed vial of poison that would break open at a random time. Since no one knows when, or if, the poison has been released, until the box is opened, the cat can be thought of as both alive and dead. Consequently, your relationship with Bridge can be thought of as both good and bad. Only be asking Bridge out will you find out which it is." Sky blinked at the scientist.

"So I _should_ ask him out?"

"No, you're not listening. In 1935 -"

* * *

"Bridge, please. Talk to her." Z pleaded.

"No," he answered angrily, barely refraining from stamping his foot like a petulant child. "What happens between myself and Sky isn't any of her business and she had no right to go talking about it - especially in the Common Room!"

"Bridge, she's miserable."

"Good, she can join the rest of the world!" Bridge sighed his shoulders slumping as he collapsed onto Z's bed and Z knew the pink ranger was forgiven. Bridge could never hold onto his anger for long. "I just…you guys are the only family I have and Sky's been all distant since he heard Syd talking to you. I feel like I've already lost him." Z wrapped the dejected green ranger into a tight hug.

"Things _will_ work out, Bridge; you'll see. If anyone deserves it, it's you." Bridge sniffled and pulled out of the yellow ranger's embrace.

"Thanks, Z. You should probably tell Syd that she can quit hiding in the bathroom now," he said, smiling wryly. Z laughed and slipped off the bed to get the blonde girl. Syd hovered uncertainly in the bathroom doorway as Z snuck out of the room to give them privacy. As the door slid shut Bridge turned to face the other ranger. "Syd, it's okay, really."

"Bridge, I am…SO…sorry. I never in a billion years would have thought he'd hear. He wasn't even in the room!"

"He has exceptionally keen hearing. He was probably just passing by when he overheard you and stopped to eavesdrop. Nosy bastard…" he grumbled as Syd climbed onto the bed. "Syd…what are you thinking?" he asked, worried already as he noted the look on her face. The blonde grinned evilly.

"I'm thinking of how to fix things between you and Sky and I just thought of the most perfect plan _ever!_ And you need to go," she stated, shoving the green ranger off the bed and toward the door.

"Wait! Syd… No more plans!" he shouted as the door slid shut. Bridge sighed and trekked into the Common Room. "We're screwed," he announced as he flopped onto the couch next to the yellow ranger.

"Syd finally come up with a plan?" Z asked, flipping through the TV channels. "Over a thousand channels and there's _still_ nothing to watch." She shut off the television and threw the remote onto the coffee table.

"Yeah but she kicked me out of the room and slammed the door shut without telling me what the plan consisted of." Their conversation paused as Sky came tearing into the Common Room. He paused and pointed at his squad members.

"You two never saw me. Got it?" Getting two nods as his answer Sky took off at a run. Z and Bridge looked at each other but before either of them could voice a single 'what the hell?' Boom burst in.

"Have either of you seen Sky?" The two squad members shared another look.

"He was heading toward the front," Z stated, watching as Boom took off in the opposite direction of Sky. "No wonder Sky looked so crazed," Z giggled and Bridge joined in.

"Oh man, that's one crisis averted. But what are we going to do about Syd's plan?" Bridge asked after they had calmed down.

"Is she seriously trying to plan something?" Sky asked, re-entering the Common Room at a much more leisurely pace now that he had ditched Boom. "They always backfire or fall apart." He stated, sitting down in a chair and resting his elbows on his knees. Bridge stared at the casual gesture. That one more was the equivalent of Bridge walking around in his jammies.

"Well, I'll go and see if I can talk her out of it. I'm sure you two have things you need to discuss." Z got up and made a quick retreat. Bridge glared at her as she passed because talking to Syd had been _his_ escape plan, dammit. Z's answering glare was unsympathetic and clearly read 'deal with this or I will'.

"So…" Bridge stated awkwardly after sitting in prolonged silence. Sky sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"Bridge, I have no idea what to do," he stated helplessly. "I mean, I'm flying blind here and without a wingman." Bridge stared, not fully comprehending the lingo Sky was using.

"Uh…what?"

"Bridge, I need to know what you want from me." He stated tiredly. A brief pause elapsed as the green ranger eyed Sky. The older ranger was slouched back in his chair, eyes closed. He looked utterly worn down.

"I just want you, Sky. Whatever you're willing to give me - a relationship, friendship…or nothing at all." Bridge answered truthfully. The older ranger cracked his eyes open and stared at the younger teen. Bridge held his gaze, knowing that this would be what would make or break their relationship.

"If we do this," Sky stated, "we do this at my pace. And I still won't make you any guarantees."

"Okay," Bridge said breathlessly, his heart hammering in his chest at a mile a minute.

"Alright. So, I'll see you later," Sky stated awkwardly as he stood.

"Uh, yeah. I've, uh, I've got to help Kat on a new experiment but I'll see you later." Bridge answered, standing as well.

"Right." Sky shoved his hands into his pants pockets. "So, bye." He paused indecisively for a moment before heading toward the door. Bridge watched him go before sitting back down and trying to wrap his head around what just happened.

~Review~


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hey, guys! Did you miss me? Finally got a chance to start writing again. So here's the final chapter of Schrodinger's Cat!

* * *

Bridge wandered the halls of the academy and tried to get his head on straight. It was still spinning hours after Sky had told Bridge that he was ready to move forward with their fledgling relationship. The green ranger was ecstatic…and panicking. Unwelcome thoughts were flying around his head like buzzards circling a carcass. _What if Sky changed his mind? What if their relationship didn't work out? Could they still be friends? If they remained a couple, would they remain friends as well?_ With these thoughts still bustling in his head he found himself standing outside of Z and Syd's room and he knocked on the door. He was caught off guard when the door swung open much sooner than he expected.

"Bridge, thank GOD! I just tried to kill a spider with hairspray. The spider is still alive but his hair now looks FABULOUS! Kill it!" she stated, shoving the green ranger in front of her and pointing to the tiny arachnid.

"Syd, you tackle Gruum's minions almost every day but you can't handle a spider?" Bridge asked, grabbing a handful of tissues and capturing the little fellow.

"That's different. They don't have a million eyes and _way_ too many legs. They're also not complete and utter bastards. Hanging upside down on my ceiling above my head is a bastard move. Ew! Bridge, I said kill it, not capture it!" The scientist rolled his eyes before awkwardly opening the window with one hand and releasing the tiny spider outside.

"Better?" he asked, shutting the window and turning around.

"More or less. By the way, Z vetoed my plan. She said it was illegal and it was highly improbable that it would work." She rolled her eyes.

"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about," he stated hesitantly. "Maybe it would just be better if we stayed friends. I don't want to muck everything up."

"Oh, we aren't back to this are we? He's in love with you. I know he is! Just wait for him to make a decision!"

"He did!" Bridge snapped before deflating. "I'm just not sure it was the right one."

"He did? You mean - OH MY GOD! You guys are dating?" Syd exclaimed gleefully. Bridge sighed. Trust the pink ranger to focus on that.

"Yes. He said he's willing to give it a go but he's not making any promises. It's just…_I'm_ not sure it's the best idea. What if it doesn't work out and we can't go back to just being friends?"

"Bridgey…" Syd sighed and looked at the green ranger with pity. "I bet if you just carry on as normal Sky will realize that the two of you have pretty much been dating all along." An impish look crossed her face. "The only difference is that you'll both be getting some."

"SYD!" he cried, feeling his face flush and the tips of his ears turn red. The pink ranger laughed at her friend's discomfort.

"Oh, relax. We're all girls here…kind of. But I'm serious, Bridgey. Nothing has to change with how you and Sky interact on a day-to-day basis. And I doubt you'll have to worry about things getting physical for a while yet," she teased, the impish look returning to her face. Bridge groaned and buried his head in the pink ranger's pillow.

"This is your ex-boyfriend we're talking about! You shouldn't be perving on his getting it on with another guy!" Bridge protested. Syd grinned wickedly.

"Does that mean you won't let me watch?"

"SYD!" Bridge shouted, mortified. Syd sighed. The poor boy got riled up so easily.

"Okay, okay. But seriously Bridge, it's IMPOSSIBLE not to love you. Unless we're talking about Gruum but he doesn't love his own mother let alone anybody else."

"Okay, so it's impossible not to love me, that doesn't mean that he's going to be IN LOVE with me." Bridge argued. Syd rolled her eyes. Apparently Bridge was unaware of how absolutely loveable he was.

"Bridge, sweetie," Syd grit out patiently. "What I keep trying to tell you is that he _is_ in love with you. As in, he wants to hug and kiss and sleep and have babies with you."

"Syd, we're both guys. We CAN'T get pregnant." Bridge pointed out as he rolled his eyes.

"That doesn't mean you can't keep trying." Syd's innocent tone clashed with the shark-like grin on her face and the green ranger decided it was time for him to exit stage left.

"Right," Bridge stood up quickly. "This is the part where I leave before things get even weirder than they already have."

"Give Sky a kiss for me!" Syd shouted as the younger teen all but fled from the room. Hearing the door slide shut behind him Bridge sighed, satisfied with having the safety of a door between himself and the blonde female. He was pretty sure that Syd was losing it but he still couldn't shake her advice to carry on as normal where Sky was concerned. Syd's plans might be notoriously horrible but her advice was always solid. Deciding to heed her advice - after all, it couldn't hurt - Bridge headed back to the dorm to see if Sky wanted to grab lunch.

* * *

"So, I'm pretty sure that Syd has finally lost her mind." Bridge greeted as he grabbed a change of clothes and headed for the bathroom to change.

"I didn't think it'd be so soon but I'll trust your assessment of the situation and try to avoid her unless absolutely necessary." Sky retorted, not even looking up from his book. Bridge rolled his eyes before realizing that the blue ranger couldn't see him.

"I'm rolling my eyes!" he called as he shoved his lab clothes in the hamper. Sky snorted. "You hungry?" Bridge asked, leaning against the bathroom door jam.

"That depends," Sky stated vaguely.

"On?"

"What the cafeteria is trying to pass off as food," he finished, shooting the green ranger a conspiratorial smile. Bridge laughed.

"Don't worry, no mystery meatloaf today. It's pizza day."

"Then, yes, I'm hungry." The older teen marked his page before setting the book aside. Bridge grinned before leading the way to the cafeteria. They each grabbed a plate before sliding into a corner booth and while they ate it was as if nothing had changed. They joked and teased each other mercilessly but as soon as they cleared their plates an awkward silence settled around their booth like a shroud. Bridge glanced out the window at the bright sunlight.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" he asked.

"Sure," Sky agreed, standing and leading the way outside. As they made their way around SPD to the tranquility garden, Bridge began explaining one of the new experiments Kat was letting him help with.

"…they measured the deflection of alpha particles, helium ions with a positive charge, directed normally onto a sheet of very thin gold foil. The gold foil was surrounded by a circular sheet of Zinc Sulfide which was used as an indicator. The sheet would light up when hit with alpha particles. Under the prevailing plum pudding model, the alpha particles should have been deflected by, at most, a few degrees. However they observed that a very small percentage of particles were deflected through angles much larger than ninety degrees. From this observation Rutherford was able to observe and deduct the structure of the atom. Now, what we're trying to do is - "

"Uh, Bridge?" Sky interrupted, clearing his throat.

"Hmm?"

"Please stop talking before you give me headache," he said with an amused smile. He knew Bridge was passionate about science - it was one of the many things Sky loved about him - but he could only take so much.

"Right, forgot who I was talking to," Bridge teased and the older ranger rolled his eyes.

"Well next time remember before I start looking for the duct tape." Sky stated, giving the green ranger a half-hearted glare.

"Oh, come on, Sky, it's not like it's - "

"Rocket science?" Sky cut in with a raised eyebrow.

"Alright, no sciences talk." Bridge agreed. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Light Ball?" Sky asked hopefully, grinning. Bridge groaned.

"Light Ball is about as thrilling for me as science is for you."

"Okay, okay, no Light Ball talk," Sky sighed. Silence fell and soon the only noise was the crunching of their feet on the gravel path. They rounded a curve and stopped to stand next to the reflecting pool and Sky asked, "This isn't going well, is it?" Bridge chuckled.

"No, it really isn't."

"Tell me about your family," Sky stated, turning to face the younger ranger.

"I don't have any," Bridge stated as he stared out at the water. "My dad left, my mom's dead and I was an only child. SPD is my family now."

"I'm sorry," Sky stated quietly.

"I do have a cousin but she can be kind of a handful. Actually, she's kind of a pain in the ass," he laughed.

"You two must have been quite close considering how much you have in common." Sky grinned. Bridge glared at him.

"Smart ass…" he muttered, leaning against a tree.

"So tell me," Sky grinned and Bridge felt his throat go dry as his personal space was invaded. "When _was_ the last time you dated a guy?"

"Uhm, before I joined the academy," he stuttered, pressing himself more tightly against the back of the tree.

"That long?" Sky asked, quirking an eyebrow as he continued invading the younger boy's space. Bridge nodded.

"Didn't want to risk the wrong people finding out about it here," he explained and Sky smirked.

"Is that the only reason?" he inquired. Bridge noted the playful spark in the blue ranger's eyes and rolled his own.

"Well, there _was_ the issue of my being in love with this _absolutely impossible_ git." He stated. Sky's grin widened.

"Yeah? What happened with that?" he asked.

"Nothing," Bridge sighed. "He's still an absolutely impossible git," he lamented. The green ranger often forgot that though the older ranger was wider than he was, he could move just as quickly. And so it was that the younger boy found himself pinned to the tree and being tickled mercilessly.

The rest of the walk was filling with laughter and shameless flirting and by the time they reached their room both rangers had tears in their eyes. Bridge collapsed onto his bed in a fit of giggles as Sky flopped onto his own bed.

"Oh, I don't think I've laughed that hard in ages," Sky gasped. He turned to look at the green ranger and found that Bridge was already staring intently at him.

"Sky, have you ever heard of Schrodinger's Cat?" he asked. The blond groaned.

"I have heard _far too much_ of Schrodinger's Cat."

"Good," Bridge stated, quickly crossing the room and kissing the other ranger. He quickly pulled away and both rangers took a moment to catch their breath.

"Alright, the cat's alive," Sky stated. "Let's go out to dinner tonight."


End file.
